- The most preventable cause of cancer is smoking. Tobacco smoke contains carcinogens and oxidants that affect every organ in the body. Quit smoking and avoid tobacco smoke to avoid lung, esophageal, stomach, pancreas, cervical, kidney, bladder, uterine, head, neck and liver cancer. Limit alcohol to two or fewer drinks a day to prevent liver, esophageal, mouth, throat, larynx and breast cancer.
- After quitting smoking, a healthy diet is the best way to prevent cancer. Eat a diet high in fiber, fruit, vegetables and calcium, and low in fat and processed food. High-fat diets increase the risk of uterine, colon and prostate cancer. A healthy diet boosts the immune system so it can fight cancer cells and other diseases before they become a problem. Food with antioxidants that fight the oxidation process that ages us are the best defense to prevent cancer.
- Getting enough physical activity to avoid many of the effects of aging is a good way to prevent cancer. Too little exercise and too much weight increases the risk for breast, colon, kidney, uterine, esophageal and endometrial cancer. Being overweight makes your body produce too many hormones, and that can sometimes cause cancer to grow. Thirty minutes or more of moderate to strenuous exercise each day, not including your usual activities, is suggested, and increasing that over time is recommended.
